"Shouldn't the taxpayers of California, who pay some of the highest taxes in the nation, have one of the best Departments of Transportation? One that can be bragged about? One that other states want to emulate?

"Unfortunately, Caltrans is a national embarrassment. It's a 'Golden Fleece Award' recipient. It would be unconscionable to ask Californians to pay even more transportation-related taxes until Caltrans receives a 'Blue Ribbon Award.'"

Caltrans Wins Golden Fleece Award for Its $10 Billion Highway Robbery

"With primary responsibility for highway maintenance projects in California, the irresponsible Caltrans has wasted billions of taxpayer dollars and even lied to lawmakers to cover its tracks."

"...Senator Moorlach said: 'Caltrans is one of the worst managed, most inefficient government agencies in the nation. Just look at the metrics." Californians pay among the highest gas taxes and the fifth-highest per-mile road maintenance, yet we also have the nation’s fifth worst roads. Those are clear signs that Caltrans is dysfunctional and wasting taxpayer money. If Caltrans was a private company, it would have been out of business long ago.'”

"Seventy-five years after the nation’s first urban highway opened in California, it is time for Californians to adopt a modern transportation network. Private ownership, competitive bids on repair contracts, and road usage fees would revolutionize the state’s transportation network and fix its crumbling highways and bridges. Without intention, Caltrans’s incompetence is helping to drive a badly needed conversation about the Golden State’s highways of tomorrow."